Everyone Needs A Friend
by Kinkatia
Summary: Currently on hold due to some changes that need to be made and the complete revision of the sister fic She Brings Out The Best. Apologies to any impatient readers.
1. Prologue

**I'm doing it again, starting up new stories when I should be finishing old ones. Forgive me, my readers! But I HAVE to do this! **

**Otulia: Neither Kinkatia nor I own Naruto. However, we own our currently nameless OC.**

Prologue

_Gaara sat on the swing, holding his teddy bear and watching the other kids play a game of soccer. The score was tied, and both teams were getting competitive. A goal was nearly scored, but the goalie blocked it just in time, hitting it away from the net. The ball soared up into the air, coming to land on top of the wall, out of reach._

"_Aw, man!" one boy complained._

"_None of us know any wall climbing jutsu," a girl said sadly._

_Gaara got off the swing, looking up at the wall. Using his control over sand, he was able to get the ball, lowering down into his hands. Approaching the other children shyly, he held it out toward them. "Um, here," he said quietly._

"_It's Gaara!" one person exclaimed. _

"_He's creepy," another said. In an instant, the entire group turned and fled, screaming in fear. _

_Gaara watched them go with hurt-filled eyes. Why did they run away from him? Why did they fear him? A thousand similar questions flooded his mind, fueling a new feeling; anger._

_Suddenly, a girl his own age who hadn't been involved in the game stepped in front of him. "You cowards!" she yelled at the backs of the retreating children. "He was only trying to be nice!" She turned around and looked at Gaara, tears in her eyes. "They're so mean," she sniffled. He suddenly found himself being hugged by this strange girl. "Don't worry about them. I'll be your friend."_

"_Really?" Gaara asked, his anger receding._

_She released him from her hug and looked at him, smiling through her tears. "Yep! After all, everyone needs a friend!"_

**The prologue is short. Yes, we are aware of that. Anyone who's seen the most recent episode of Naruto on Toonami should know what inspired this, hehe! **

**And I have a question that needs answering. What should the girl's name be? If I use your suggestion, I'll give you credit for naming her! So, review! I promise the rest of the story will be more original. I just borrowed the starting point.**


	2. The Beginning of a Big Mess

**Alright! Gaara's friend has a name! I'd like to personally thank Mew Rin for the suggestions that inspired it! THANK YOU!!!**

**Otulia: We don't own anyone but our newly-named OC…you'll know her when you see her!**

Chapter One

Gaara raced through the village streets, slowly gaining on the black-haired girl. They wove through the throngs of people with practiced ease, leapt onto the rooftops with perfect balance, and then back to the streets. The girl tried to lose him in the crowds, but he wasn't about to let her out of his sight. Here there was a flash of the black cloak she always wore; there he caught a glimpse of her glancing back at him, grinning.

He came closer and closer, until he could reach out and grab her shoulder. Which, of course, he did.

"Aw, man! I thought for sure I'd outrun you this time!" she complained, slowing to a walk.

"Just face it Chiocho, I'm faster than you," Gaara said teasingly.

"Aw, shut up!" she complained, smiling at her best friend. They had met when they were much younger, and had remained friends ever since. She cut her black hair herself, resulting in it being very messy. It was short on the right side of her face, but covered the left, reaching to her shoulders. She had a birthmark under her left eye that made it look as if she were crying and a red upside-down triangle on her right cheek. She had always hated that triangle, but it was the mark of her clan.

"Hey, Gaara!" They both looked over their shoulders to see Gaara's sister, Temari, approaching. "Baki-sensei has a mission for us."

"I'll be there in a minute," he replied. She nodded and returned from whence she came.

"Man. You go on too many missions," Chiocho complained. "I get lonely when you're gone."

Gaara nodded, knowing full well what she meant. Neither of them had any other friends. Everyone was afraid of Gaara, and Chiocho had lost any friends she once had the day she stood up for him.

Chiocho looked up at him sadly. "You come back safely," she said quietly, taking her ninja headband off her arm as he did the same.

"I always do," Gaara said, pretending to be annoyed as they exchanged headbands. They always did this when one or the other went on a mission; Chiocho said it would bring them good luck, since they'd have to come back to return each other's headbands.

"Good-bye," she called, as he turned and walked away. He looked over his shoulder at her and waved, and she was just able to see the love kanji on his forehead. She smiled upon seeing it; she also sported a kanji, but instead of love, hers was hate. It was black, and rested above her right eye. She felt it suited her quite well; she felt hatred coming from all sides, and hated the world for it.

She turned and walked back to her own home, her blue-green eyes flashing in the sunlight as she blinked away tears. Without Gaara there, Suna closed in on her, and her own personal fears returned to haunt her. But he would come back. He always did.

* * *

When Gaara left Suna, he couldn't help but feel guilty. He knew how much Chiocho hated it there; he was the same way. He also knew the pain of being alone, with no one to go to who would help ease your fears. Their only means of survival had been their friendship, and that desperation had served only to strengthen their bond. 

Baki-sensei had warned the squad that this mission was their most dangerous yet; they had to travel to the Land of Bears and infiltrate Hoshigakure. If they weren't careful, they could very easily get themselves killed. Gaara touched Chiocho's headband. _I'll come back; I promise._ He wasn't about to leave her to face the world alone. Everybody needed a friend to face it with them.

* * *

Chiocho wandered restlessly around her house. She was bored out of her mind, and hadn't a clue what to do. She longed for the sun to set, for then the people of Sunagakure would retire to their own homes, and the streets would be hers. But dusk was still hours away, and she needed a way to entertain herself. 

"Chiocho! Stop being so fidgety!"

She sighed in exasperation. Her mother never missed an opportunity to scold her for something or other. She had never wanted Chiocho to be a kunoichi, but had instead wanted her to be an obedient daughter. Chiocho rarely did as she was told. Ever since the day she had befriended Gaara, her decisions had been hers alone.

Deciding against further provocation aimed towards her mother, Chiocho made her way to her room, where she collapsed onto her bed. Staring blankly at the ceiling, a sense of peace began to descend upon her.

_Pow!_

Chiocho started, and looked around her room hurriedly. A rock was sitting on the floor, and there was a hole through the window. Mocking laughter drifted in from outside. Infuriated, she scooped up the stone, threw open the window, and hurled it back at the group of children gathered in the street. They immediately ceased their laughter and ran, screaming in fear.

"Go ahead and run, you cowards!" Chiocho shouted after them furiously. When they had gone from sight, she slammed the window shut and fell to her bed once more. "Those cowards," she mumbled angrily, a tear slipping down her cheek. "All they ever do is play dirty tricks." Burying her face in her pillow to stifle her angry sobs, she cried herself into a restless sleep.

* * *

Gaara observed the quiet of the village before him. Hoshigakure lay asleep, peacefully dreaming, its people believing themselves safe, surrounded by a canyon filled with poisonous gas. He could almost laugh at the thought. How could they even think that a measly poison-filled canyon would protect them from enemy ninja? It was ridiculous. 

He glanced at Temari, off to his right. She was kneeling on the ground, deep in thought; obviously planning how they would get in and out of the village undetected. Off to his left was Kankuro, who was gazing blankly at the star-filled sky, waiting patiently for Temari to finish formulating the plan.

Baki-sensei was nowhere to be found, but experience had taught Gaara that he was always around somewhere, watching them from some hidden place. Every time a fierce argument broke out among the sand siblings, he would suddenly appear to end the fight and get everyone back on track. And the sand siblings fought a lot.

After a time, Temari nodded and stood. "It seems simple enough," she said quietly. "There aren't any guards anywhere." In hushed tones, she explained the plan to them, making sure each understood his part.

"Alright," Kankuro said, hoisting his puppet onto his back. "Let's get this over with."

The three of them took of running down the hill, their teacher soon joining them. The night was calm and quiet, but Gaara couldn't help but feel uneasy. It felt as though someone were following them…

**And a cliffie! What will I do next? Is someone really following them? Does Chiocho's mother have a name? Well, you'll have to wait for me to update to find out! And I promise to try not to procrastinate! Review, onegai? **


	3. Ambush: The Butterfly Savior

**I bet you're all in suspense, right? You're sitting there, wondering if someone really is following the sand siblings. You're itching to know who it is. And you're also wishing you could shout at me because I'm not getting on with the story. Am I right? Of course I am.**

**Otulia: Chiocho is the sole property of Kinkatia. So are the other OC's, but they don't matter much. But Naruto…we don't own that.**

Ambush; The Butterfly Savior

"Temari," Gaara whispered. "Someone's behind us."

"What are you talking about, Gaara? There's no one there," Kankuro said. "We scouted out the area when we got here."

Gaara halted in his run and looked over his shoulder. His sharp eyes caught a flash of movement; then, all was still. The others stopped, too. Without Gaara's cooperation, they could never succeed in their mission. Baki stepped forward. "Gaara, we have a mission to complete. This is not the time to get paranoid."

But Gaara didn't budge.

The full moon hung low in the clear, starry sky. The air was eerily still, and the boulders stood threateningly all around. The silence was almost deafening, ringing in their ears with such ferocity that it made them uneasy. The silver moonlight pooled on the landscape, creating dark shadows behind every rock. Shadows that seemed almost human…

"We're surrounded." Gaara's voice rang clear through the night air. He didn't bother to keep quiet; the enemy already knew they were there.

"You've got a sharp eye, kid." A shinobi appeared on top of a nearby boulder, flipping a kunai over in his hand. He was dressed in earthen tones; the perfect camouflage for the landscape.

Suddenly a multitude of similarly dressed ninja appeared on all sides, stepping unafraid into the open. The squad from the Sand Village grouped together, preparing for an attack. They would not be taken prisoner.

* * *

Chiocho awoke with a start. Something was nagging at the edge of her mind, but she couldn't figure out what. Sighing, she glanced at her window. Night had fallen on the village.

Quietly, she slid open the window and climbed out, working her way up to the roof with practiced ease. Stretching out on her back, she stared at the sky, watching the stars twinkling merrily. The moon must have risen only an hour or so ago, judging by how close to the horizon it was. Her thoughts wandered as she tried to relax and enjoy the night. But she was on edge. Whatever had caused her to awaken was still there, and it was bothering her. Something was wrong.

Some nighttime creature scurried about on the ground below, disrupting the usually comforting silence. But tonight, it was oppressive. A hot wind swept through the streets, carrying loose sand along with it. That's when it struck her. _Gaara._

"Please be safe," she whispered. The thought that he might be in trouble was too much for her, and she tried to sweep it from her mind. But it remained, along with an eerie foreboding in the pit of her stomach.

* * *

There were so many of them. And it was hard to discern them from the landscape in the midst of battle. Temari swung her fan, a violent gust of wind taking out three of the enemy ninja. But three more took their place. Kankuro was having trouble; his puppet was useless in close combat, and their opponents were far more skilled in battle than he. Baki was holding his own, but just barely. There were just too many shinobi, coming at him from all sides. Even Gaara was having difficulty defending himself. His sand swirled around him, trying to protect him, but the enemy was so fast. The sand couldn't keep up. And there were just so many of them.

Temari's fan was knocked away from her, and she was instantly surrounded. She tried to fight her way out, but in vain. Gaara fought his way to her, but was met with the fastest of all the enemy shinobi. She easily got through his sand defense. The last thing he felt before darkness consumed him was a sharp pain at the base of his neck.

* * *

"No," Chiocho whispered. "It can't be."

The moon had turned blood red. She couldn't tear her gaze away from it, terror filling her very being. Terror for her friend.

"The blood red moon," she murmured. "That only happens when-"

Jumping to her feet, she closed her eyes and made a series of hand signs. "Emerge." With the final sign, she cast most of her soul from her body in the form of glowing blue butterflies, which hovered around her on delicate wings. "Find Gaara," she instructed. "He needs me."

They flew away, leaving her alone on the roof. Using the last of her strength, she swung back through her still open window, sliding down against the wall directly beneath it. Closing her eyes, she followed her butterflies with her mind's eye.

_They flew unbelievably fast, the terrain below them blurred. Soon, they could see a huge monster in the distance, a sand spirit by the looks of it, and the sounds of battle floated gently to the swarm. 'I was right,' she thought grimly. 'Something's happened to Gaara. He'd never willingly let Shukaku out.'_

_In what seemed to be only a moment more, the butterflies had reached the scene of the battle. Broken bodies were scattered everywhere, visible only by the blood pooling under them. She could see the rest of Gaara's squad, hiding nearby. They were terrified, and she didn't blame them. Shukaku would kill anyone; he knew neither friend nor foe._

_The few surviving shinobi were fleeing, desperate to get away alive. Shukaku started to follow them, but stumbled across the Sand ninja. His cackling laughter rang out harshly as he turned on them. _

'_Now!' The butterflies swarmed around Shukaku, distracting him. 'Gaara, wake up! Please!' Chiocho called out mentally. She directed the fluttering insects to land on the sand spirit. They would suppress his power, helping Gaara to regain control._

"_No! No, stay away!" Shukaku cried as he recognized the spirit in the butterflies. "I won't let you stop me!" He slashed at them, and one lone butterfly fell to the ground, its wings torn apart and its glow fading. Chiocho felt a sharp, unbearable pain in her heart. But she held on. She had to help her friend._

_The sand began to crumble away. Shukaku's cries were silenced as he vanished, leaving Gaara kneeling on the ground, severely weakened. "Chiocho," he whispered, horrified. "I'm sorry." _

_She couldn't hold on much longer, and called the butterflies back. They raced to her, and the last she saw of Gaara, a tear was sliding down his cheek._

He watched them go. All but one. The butterfly that had been killed by Shukaku, by _him_ lay still on the ground. Gently, he scooped it up and placed it in a small bag he had with him.

"What happened?" Kankuro asked, staring after the receding blue glow.

"Gaara," Temari asked. "Where did those butterflies come from?"

He looked at her with haunted eyes. "They are Chiocho's," was all he said. Silently, he turned back toward home. The others followed suit; they couldn't complete their mission, weakened as they were.

But Gaara wasn't thinking about the mission. His thoughts were on Chiocho, and how she'd come to his rescue, at her own risk. Those butterflies were her very soul, and…

_I've hurt you. Please, hold on until I return._

**Okay, here's chapter three! Well, two, if you don't count the prologue. Anyways, please review! If you don't, I'll sic Shukaku on you!**


	4. Friendship, Forgiveness, Healing

**Here we go! **

**Otulia: That was fast. We don't own Naruto.**

Friendship, Forgiveness, Healing

The bleak darkness of unconsciousness began to lift, graying at the edges, a dim light slowly working inward. A lone bird chirruped somewhere nearby, it's song delicate as the leaves on a withering tree. Voices, intermingling with one another, drifted into hearing; no words, just the melody of human sound, daily life, moving on. The grey of vision faded away into the colors of dim light on closed eyelids. The feel of a gentle hand on a shoulder, a soft shake. And one voice, cherished above all for its calm acceptance.

"Chiocho, wake up."

Slowly, she opened her eyes. Her vision was blurred for a moment, and she nearly panicked. But then it cleared, and she found herself in her room, leaning against the wall beneath her window with Gaara kneeling before her.

"Gaara!" she exclaimed, joyful despite her fatigue. "You're alright!"

She couldn't have missed the guilt in his eyes. It leaked into every pore of his being, but if she saw, she said nothing. "I've brought it back," he said quietly, taking out the small pouch. Carefully, he removed the lifeless butterfly from it, as if he were afraid to damage it more.

"Thank you," she murmured, leaning forward to take it from his hands. She closed her eyes, concentrating, and the butterfly melted into her, vanishing without a trace. A bit of her strength came back to her.

"I'm sorry," Gaara said softly.

"Don't be," Chiocho replied with a forgiving smile. "It wasn't your fault. Besides, I'll recover; the butterfly will live again."

"You shouldn't have done that," Gaara said, looking away. "It's too dangerous."

"I had too, Gaara. I'm the only one who can fully suppress Shukaku. You know that." She shifted, touching him lightly on the shoulder. When he turned to look at her, she held out her hand. In it was his headband, shining dimly in the morning light filtering in from outside. "I'm glad you came back safely."

Gaara nodded, removing Chiocho's headband from his arm, and returning it to her. "You should get some rest," he suggested gently, knowing full well what her reply would be.

"But you need rest more than I do, Gaara. You just got back from a mission!" She opened her mouth to continue, but her words were blocked by a large yawn.

"I'm fine, Chiocho," Gaara insisted, doing his best to keep his guilt from his voice. "You're the one who got hurt, not me."

"Well…maybe a little sleep won't hurt…" The exhaustion which comes after projecting her soul was now catching up with her. She stood on shaky legs and made her way to her bed, dropping gratefully onto it. "Gaara?" she asked, just before she drifted off to sleep. "Shouldn't you be reporting in with Lord Kazekage?"

"I should be," Gaara admitted quietly. "But you're more important." She didn't hear him, however, for she was already fast asleep. He sighed, and settled himself in the corner of the room, prepared to wait until his friend awoke.

* * *

"Where is Gaara?"

Temari nearly flinched at the tone of the Kazekage's voice. To say he wasn't pleased would be a severe understatement. "He's probably resting," she answered. "He needs time to recover from Shukaku's emergence." She was going to kill Gaara for running off on them like that, as soon as she found him.

Kankuro and Baki stood nearby, keeping silence lest they further anger the Kazekage.

"You fail to complete your mission, and you report in without your entire squad present. I am disappointed. However, I have another mission for you. This one should be much easier, so you should have no trouble at all succeeding."

From the shadows emerged a tall figure, the very sight of whom sent chills down Temari's spine. It was Orochimaru.

**Forgive me for it being short, but I'm stuck. I should have a longer next chapter, really, I promise! And better! I mean, the creepy guy with the even creepier snake-like tongue has showed up! It HAS to be better! Now, review, flames are accepted, as long as you don't add insult to injury or tell me to do something stupid like ump off a bridge. Okay? Oh, and if you don't review, I will find you, drag you back to Orochimaru's lair, and leave you at his mercy. Got it? Good!**


	5. Orochimaru's Plan

**Alrighty. Now, if you haven't read the latest chapter of She Brings Out The Best yet, you might want to. Possibly before you even read this here chapter. Why? Because they overlap. That's why.**

**Otulia: And we don't own Naruto. Just Chiocho. **

Orochimaru's Plan

Gaara raced through the countryside with his teammates. They were headed to the Hidden Leaf Village under the pretense of delivering a message from the Kazekage.

He touched the headband on his arm, thinking of Chiocho. He hadn't wanted to leave her so soon, before she had recovered, but there was no choice when working with Orochimaru. You did as you were instructed, or you were killed.

He thought back to what the Sanin had told them about the mission.

"_There is a girl who worked for Arashi Mushin in Konoha. I'm afraid that I've scared her away before I was finished with her."_

Gaara remembered that girl; she had always sat quietly in the shadows when Mushin visited with the Kazekage.

"_You will assist me in retrieving her. You will infiltrate the village, while I remain outside."_

He had always considered Orochimaru cowardly, and each time they worked with him, he became even more convinced.

"_I can lure her from the village. Your job is to create a disturbance so that no one knows she is missing until it's too late."_

He doubted if they'd be able to get out of this alive. It was suicide, to cause trouble in Konoha without reinforcement.

* * *

"You must be weary from your journey," the leaf ninja said to them. "You can rest here for the night. The Hokage will see you in the morning."

They retired into the rooms allotted to them. As soon as their escort had left, they gathered in Baki's room.

"You know the signal," the Jonin said. "Split up until it comes. I'll join you once you've begun. Until then, I'll stay here, to draw off suspicion."

The three nodded. One by one, they left the building to wander around the village until it was time to do their part.

* * *

Gaara took to the rooftops, avoiding the crowded streets. Evening was fast approaching, and the signal would come soon.

He chose a quieter area to wait. He made his way to the center of the roof of a large building, probably a hospital. He sat down, staring blankly at nothing in particular.

A moment later, something caught his vision. Someone was climbing up onto the roof. She appeared to be off-balance, and as he watched, she started to fall. Without thinking, he leapt forward and grabbed her arm, pulling her back up.

"Oh wow…thanks," she said, breathing heavily. She looked up, and a shock of recognition shot through him. He'd seen this girl before.

"Gaara? What are you doing here?" So she knew him, too. That almost proved his suspicion.

"You're that girl who always came with Arashi Mushin to talk to the Kazekage," he stated. She nodded. He had been right. This girl was Rienne Bascott, the one Orochimaru was after. Sighing inwardly, he returned to his seat.

She sat beside him. "You're so unhappy," she said quietly. He glanced at her; how could she know? "Why do you let them use you?"

He looked at her sharply. "What do you mean?" he asked. She knew more than she was letting on. Maybe that was the real reason Orochimaru wanted her. She could know something he would prefer to keep secret.

"You know that they only want your strength, Gaara. I could see that every time I visited Suna." Then, after a pause, she added, "You shouldn't let them force you to do something you don't believe in." Gaara thought about this. He had been forced to do things he didn't believe in. And he'd never had the courage to say no.

She sighed sadly. "That's why I ran away from Mushin-sama. He wanted me to fight my friends. I wouldn't do it."

He looked at her for a moment, processing her words. Orochimaru had said he'd scared her away. Did that mean he'd been disguised as Mushin? And if so, did that mean that Mushin was…dead? He didn't like that possibility. Arashi Mushin had been one of the few people to treat him respect.

A flock of birds suddenly burst from the trees just outside the village, scattering. Rienne was staring at them, eyes wide. Gaara knew what it was; the signal. If Orochimaru was right, Rienne would go right to him.

She stood, hesitating. "I've got to go," she said, before leaping off the roof. Gaara watched her for a moment. Orochimaru might just kill her. And…he couldn't let that happen.

He ran in the other direction, to the place where he was to meet Kankuro and Temari. They would stop Orochimaru. It was time they stopped cowering in fear.

His teammates were already there. "Gaara, you're late! We have to hurry!" Temari said frantically.

"We're not helping that snake," Gaara replied angrily.

"What are you talking about?" Kankuro asked, stepping in.

"We're not Orochimaru's dogs," he growled. "And it's time we stopped acting like it."

A ninja who had been standing nearby came over to them. "Is something the matter?" he asked pleasantly, smiling through the mask that covered the lower half of his face.

"Orochimaru is outside the village," Gaara said without hesitation. "He's come for a girl named Rienne, and he'll probably kill her." Temari and Kankuro looked at him in shock, but said nothing. The damage was done, and they could only wait out the storm.

"Orochimaru! This isn't good. Gai, gather up as many shinobi as you can, quickly!"

Another ninja nodded, and vanished. "Can you lead me to him?"

Gaara nodded. "We have to hurry; he'll have her by now."

* * *

By the time they'd reached the gates, a dozen ninja had joined them. They raced out into the forest, Gaara leading the way. Temari, just behind him, asked, "Gaara, why do you want to save this girl?"

Why? Because…because of her own sadness, hidden so deeply, and the truth in her words. Because of her kindness toward him, even though she knows what he is. And because…because she's like Chiocho. And he could never stand by if his best friend was in danger.

He didn't answer. He couldn't.

"How do you know Orochimaru is here?" a ninja about Gaara's age asked. He looked at him with pale, piercing eyes.

"He ordered us to create a disturbance, so he could escape."

"And you betrayed him? Why?"

"I won't be his dog anymore." The fierceness with which Gaara spoke those words started the other ninja. But he didn't leave.

"I'm glad. I don't want anything to happen to Rienne. She's been through too much."

"It's just ahead," Gaara said. The word was passed to the others, and they fell silent.

They came to a stop, greeted by a frightening sight. Orochimaru had Rienne pinned to a tree with his tongue in snake form. "What a pretty trick," he was saying. "It will be of great use to me."

There was no time to think what he meant. They had to act. A young kunoichi stepped forward, and threw a large shuriken. It sliced straight through Orochimaru's tongue, and he backed away, afraid.

"Nice shot, TenTen," the pale eyed ninja told the girl. An instant later, everyone but the sand ninja were rushing at Orochimaru. He vanished into the earth, and escaped.

A grief-stricken cry drew Gaara's attention. "He killed my uncle!" Rienne was clinging to the pale eyes ninja, sobbing. It made him hate Orochimaru even more. The cruelty he showed was sickening.

**Not as good as the chap for She Brings Out The Best, but it sure gives Gaara's reasons for the betrayal! Go Gaara!!! Well, what do you think? Tell me please!!!!**


	6. Unraveling

**Sorry for taking forever! She Brings Out The Best was next on my update list, and I had writer's block! Forgive me!!!!!**

**Otulia: I'm back! So…takes deep breath and begins to sing opera-style WE DON'T OWN NARUTO! JUST CHIOCHO!**

Unraveling

Gaara stared impassively at the old man seated before him and his squad. Sarutobi, the third Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. He seemed stressed. It was no wonder, really, after the events that had transpired the day before. Who wouldn't be worried if one of the legendary Sanin had shown up at their doorstep with less than good intentions?

Baki-sensei was fidgeting. Gaara already knew that he was furious with him for betraying Orochimaru. Lord Kazekage had ordered them to help the snake accomplish whatever it was he needed to accomplish. They would be in big trouble when they returned to Suna.

The Hokage was speaking, so he turned his attention back to the matter at hand. They were being interrogated.

"What was Orochimaru planning?"

Temari glanced at Gaara, sending him a secret glare. This was his fault. "He wanted to capture that girl, Rienne."

"Why?"

Temari answered again. "He said she had run away before he was finished with her." The finality with which she'd said that told Gaara that she refused to tell everything. She would answer any questions asked, but she would not volunteer anything more.

But the whole story had to be told. "She'd come to Suna several times with the man she worked for, Arashi Mushin. He didn't trust Orochimaru, and neither did she."

The Hokage thought this over. Gaara simply sat, ignoring the angry auras of his squad members. He'd really outdone himself this time.

"Then why would Orochimaru act as if she had been working for him?"

Gaara didn't answer; he didn't have a clue.

He heard the door behind them open, and a girl spoke. "Lord Hokage, forgive my intrusion, but Rienne Bascott is here."

"Send her in."

He watched from the corner of his eye as she shuffled in. She moved almost automatically, as if her mind were elsewhere, and her eyes, which had been so full of emotion when she'd spoken to him, were eerily blank, devoid of any feeling. It was Orochimaru's fault she was like that; Gaara felt anger flare up in him at that thought.

The Hokage seemed almost reluctant to ask her anything, but they all knew this was an immediate issue. "Tell me, Rienne, what was your connection with Arashi Mushin?"

"He was my uncle," she answered tonelessly, never lifting her eyes from her feet. "He and my father were twins, but had their differences, and went their separate ways. When I left the village, I went to him. He took me in, but because he had many enemies, we kept up the façade that I was only working for him."

"What were his connections to Orochimaru?"

"My uncle hated him, and knew he was trying to turn Lord Kazekage against Konoha. He tried to intervene, but Orochimaru's trickery had won him a place of trust." Gaara nodded to himself. This he had already known.

"Now, why did you go outside the village to him yesterday?"

Rienne hesitated to answer, as if doing so would bring up something she did not wish to remember. And it probably would. "I thought it was my uncle; Orochimaru was disguised as him when I arrived." She paused again, this time as if she were gathering her thoughts. They knew there was more for her to say. "But my uncle never traveled unaccompanied, so I was suspicious. When I questioned him, I realized the truth, and…and…He told me he'd killed my uncle quite some time ago; he must have been taken his place, so he could use me."

"But you returned here, and so he came after you?"

Silently, she nodded. Gaara watched her, knowing she must be hurting inside. How Orochimaru could be so cruel, he didn't know. All he understood was that that conniving snake had to be stopped.

When the interrogation was finished, they were allowed to leave. Gaara stood slowly, his mind turning toward Suna. Chiocho was there, and undoubtedly worried about him. Inwardly, he sighed; he could understand her concern, as it was the same as his own. So many terrible things could happen when they were apart, and they would never know until it was too late.

They followed Rienne out into the glaring sunlight, and began to make their way toward the gates. They would not be staying another day, as Orochimaru could already be on his way to Sunagakure, and their only chance was to make it there before him.

As they walked off, Gaara watched Rienne. She was being approached by the pale-eyed shinobi who had rushed to her side after Orochimaru was chased off. _Take care of her,_ he thought. _She's broken-hearted._

* * *

Chiocho sighed. She was bored beyond belief. At the moment, she was sprawled along a branch in a gnarled and withered old tree by the wall, her head propped up on one arm. The other dangled below her, a ninja headband held gently in her hand. It glinted in the moonlight as she swung her arm idly, staring blankly ahead. Suna was dull.

She blinked in surprise, suddenly, and sat up, closing her eyes in concentration. She'd seen something through the eyes of the single butterfly she'd sent out to watch over the village. And she didn't like what she saw.

Without any further hesitation, she leapt on top of the wall and started running. It wasn't long before she caught up with her luminescent butterfly. Quickly recalling it, she stared out into the desert. There, not far away, was an approaching figure. Orochimaru. And he was alone.

Her heart sank. It couldn't be. Gaara's squad had gone with him nearly two weeks ago. So then, where were they? Had Orochimaru left them behind?

She growled low in her throat. That snake had probably left them in a hopeless situation, despite the fact that he, a Sanin, could have helped them.

Standing tall and closing her eyes, she made several hand signs, the headband still gripped in one hand. Three butterflies emerged, each trailing a glowing blue string behind it. They shot toward Orochimaru with lightning speed, and, before he could react, swirled around him, ensnaring him within the lines. Almost immediately, he fell to the ground, unconscious, and the butterflies returned to flutter around Chiocho.

"See how far you get with your spirit bound," she whispered angrily. Turning away, she lifted the headband to her forehead, feeling the cool metal against her skin. "Please, Gaara, come back to me. That's all I ask. Just…come back to me."

A single blue butterfly flew off into the night.

**Dun, dun, dun! All done with this chap! Sorry I took so long! I had two research projects and finals to worry about! But I got it done! Now, tell me what you think! Por favor? Review for me!!!!**


	7. Reunited

**I'm getting there, honest. Blame writer's block and a lack of Gaara in recent episodes…**

**Otulia: We only own Chiocho. The rest isn't ours. Got it?**

Reunited

They had stopped for the night, exhausted. They would be able to reach Suna the following day, and they could only hope it would be soon enough.

"What do you think will happen if Orochimaru's already there?" Temari asked quietly, trying her best to hide her fear. "Even though he's our father, he won't go easy on us. We…we disobeyed him…"

No one answered, fear and weariness taking their toll.

"What's that?" Kankuro asked suddenly, staring out across the desert. A soft blue light was coming toward them at an unnatural speed. Everyone tensed, prepared should an attack come.

Gaara felt Shukaku stir angrily inside him, and relaxed. "It's fine," he told the others. "It's only one of Chiocho's butterflies." And sure enough, within minutes, the glowing insect had joined them, fluttering around their small camp in obvious relief.

"I don't think we'll have to worry about Orochimaru," Gaara said quietly. He was watching the butterfly intently, experiencing something very unusual, but not unpleasant. It was almost like telepathy; he knew that Chiocho had managed to stop the Sanin, at least for a little while. "We'll just say that his plan failed and he left us to fend for ourselves."

Yawning, he laid down, closing his eyes. "I'm going to sleep," he said wearily. He desperately needed rest, not having actually slept since their last mission. Every time he had drifted off, he'd been awoken with nightmares of the demon inside him.

The others watched, dumbfounded, as the butterfly landed on him and remained there as he fell asleep. Gaara had never slept on a mission.

* * *

As soon as they had been dismissed from the Kazekage's office, free from punishment, Gaara had gone to find Chiocho. Her butterfly had returned to her at dawn, and he was eager to make sure she was okay.

Chiocho found him first. Without any warning, she appeared from nowhere and nearly tackled him with a hug, burying her face in his chest. "I was so worried," she choked out, all her suppressed anxiety flowing out at once. "And when that bastard of a snake showed up last night, I thought for sure something terrible had happened!"

Gaara took her by the shoulders and gently pried her off of him. She looked exhausted, and he was surprised to see tears in her eyes. "Where is he?" he asked. The problem of Orochimaru had to be taken care of immediately.

"Still outside the wall. I bound his spirit, but he's fighting me off, and I can't hold him much longer. I only managed this long because I knew if he got to Lord Kazekage, you'd be in trouble." She turned and led him through the streets.

When they reached Orochimaru, the Sanin was conscious, struggling to move against Chiocho's invisible bonds. Gaara looked down on him with contempt. "You'd better leave," he said evenly. "My father believes you betrayed us in Konoha, and he knows you killed Mushin. You've lost your place here."

Chiocho was trembling visibly with the difficulty of keeping Orochimaru bound. Gaara put his hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "Don't let him go until we're inside the wall," he said quietly. She nodded, knowing full well that to do otherwise could get them killed.

He turned back to the dark-haired shinobi on the ground. "Suna will fight you; you know you can't take on all of us."

With that, they turned and left him there, feeling his furious glare on their backs.

As soon as they were safely back inside the village, Chiocho released the bonds and collapsed into Gaara's arms, sobbing. All of her pent up emotion from the past two weeks, coupled with her weariness, was too much for her to handle.

Gaara simply held her and told her of what had happened in the Hidden Leaf Village. "I've made a new friend," he started. "Her name is Rienne, and Orochimaru was after her…"

**Ta-da! Three updates in one day! Two for ****She Brings Out The Best****, and this chapter here! Wait…it's 12:37 in the morning…I guess technically, they're not all in the same day, but, hey, whatever! Now review, please! **


	8. Going Forward

**Time skip thing!!!! Yatta! It's now time for the Chunin Exams, and so it's off to Konoha again!**

**Otulia: You're on a roll…try to keep it that way. Anyway, we only own Chiocho, who doesn't like being referred to as cute. Naruto, however, isn't ours. Deal with it.**

Going Forward

"So that's what it is," Temari said thoughtfully. Gaara frowned. He really didn't feel like satisfying his sister's curiosity as they walked through Konoha. Too bad Chiocho was in a good mood.

"Yeah. We figured it out when we were kids. For some reason, he never had nightmares when I was there. And then when my kekkei genkai awoke, Shukaku wasn't very happy," Chiocho explained, stifling a yawn. She hadn't slept much on the journey from Suna, as she was using her butterflies as scouts to keep an eye out for Orochimaru. Though he hadn't shown his face for months, he was still a threat. "So we take turns sleeping. Nothing big, especially when it keeps Shukaku suppressed."

Gaara tuned them out, choosing to watch the sky as they walked. They needed to register for the Chunin Exams, but had no idea where they needed to go to do that. And so far, no one they had tried to ask had seemed too eager to help them.

His eyes narrowed as he saw someone familiar perched in a tree overlooking the street they were on. He stopped walking abruptly as he realized it was none other than Rienne Bascott, the girl he had helped to save from Orochimaru.

Everyone walking behind him stopped, too, wondering silently what was going on.

"Hey," Gaara said, directing his voice at Rienne. She jumped, clearly startled, and nearly tumbled headlong from the tree, barely managing to keep her hold on the branch she had been resting on.

She looked at him for a moment, her surprise melting into a friendly smile. "Gaara! Long time no see!" She dropped lightly to the ground. "You're here for the exams, then?"

He nodded in response, waiting while she looked over the rest of his group.

Chiocho was more impatient than he. "Are you taking the exams?" she asked suddenly. Gaara laughed inwardly. She was already suspicious of everyone.

Rienne shook her head sadly. "Well, because of the circumstances, I don't have a squad to register with. I have to wait until next time. By the way, my name's Rienne. Welcome to Konoha!" She extended her hand warmly, and Chiocho gladly took it. Gaara knew she had been wanting to meet his new friend, and that she would never distrust anyone that he had faith in.

"Rienne, huh? I've heard about you. I'm Chiocho, Gaara's friend. It's nice to meet you." Though he was the only one who could tell, Gaara knew that Chiocho really meant what she said. She had always craved friendship more than he had, and it was a blessing for her to have someone else who wouldn't treat her like a freak.

"I don't think we were actually introduced last time we were here," Temari said, looking a little uncomfortable. "I'm Temari, and this is Kankuro. We're Gaara's siblings. I'm glad you're alright." Gaara rolled his eyes. She hadn't been worried about Rienne at all. In fact, she hadn't even been mentioned between the siblings since they had returned to Suna. But Gaara was glad that she had recovered from the shock of losing her uncle. He himself had known Mushin to be respectable and kind, and knew it must have been terribly hard on her.

Rienne smiled, a little sadly. "Well, I'm lucky I have annoying friends who refused to leave me alone." She looked past them to Chiocho's cloaked squad members. "Who're they?"

Chiocho grimaced. "My teammates, Renjiro and Zenjiro. They're not very sociable." It was the truth. The twins rarely spoke to anyone other than their mother, who was also their sensei. They didn't like other people, hated Gaara, and absolutely detested Chiocho.

"I can tell."

Kankuro stepped forward. "Do you know where we go to register for the exams?"

"Yeah, I've been there three times today. C'mon, I'll show you." Rienne turned and led them down the street, humming cheerily under her breath.

* * *

Chiocho groaned as they exchanged their paperwork for numbers. "A written exam? How could they do this to us?" Gaara chuckled quietly, and was rewarded with a sharp slap on the back of his head. "Don't laugh at me! You KNOW I have trouble with written exams!"

In the back of the room, another shinobi was having a similar reaction to Chiocho's, only he was being a little over-dramatic. They both effectively ignored him.

"You'll do fine," he replied, grimacing. "Just don't give up."

"Alright, take your seats!" the proctor said loudly, making himself heard over the voices of the Genin in the room.

Chiocho's teammates walked past them. "Don't screw up," Renjiro hissed at her.

"You won't earn any sympathy points just because you can't read," Zenjiro added.

Chiocho frowned and followed them. "I can read," she muttered to herself. Gaara stayed where he was a moment more, before following. Renjiro and Zenjiro had made a sport out of getting to Chiocho, and sometimes, he just wanted to beat some sense into them. But he knew that it wouldn't do any good in the long run, and that the best thing to do was ignore them and make sure he was there to reassure Chiocho. Not to mention he'd probably get in trouble with the proctor for 'combat between candidates,' as the old man had put it.

They shuffled into their seat according to the numbers they had been given. Looking around, Gaara spotted Chiocho sitting in the row in front of him, to his right. Kankuro had the misfortune to be in the very front row, and didn't look too happy about it. And right next to him on his left was the pale-eyed shinobi he had spoken to the last time he had been to Konoha.

"I remember you. I'm Neji," he said with a smile of recognition.

Gaara nodded and introduced himself.

The proctor called for their attention, and began doling out the rules of the exam. He rolled his eyes, only half paying attention. Apparently, there were ten questions, and if he couldn't answer at least one correctly, he would fail. Getting caught cheating would lose him points, and if he lost all his points, he, along with Kankuro and Temari, would fail. Or something like that. He sighed. It wasn't a big deal. They were probably supposed to cheat anyway. They were ninja, after all.

When they were told to begin, he scanned over the questions on the paper in front of them. He blinked in surprise to see there were only nine. "Guess I should have paid more attention," he muttered under his breath.

With an inward sigh, he got to work.

* * *

Chiocho stared blankly at the test in front of her. After taking much time to read and reread the questions to make sure she understood them, she came to the conclusion that she couldn't possibly answer a single one. There was no way. This test was not meant for lowly Genin such as they to pass. And to top it all off, she had never been any good at gathering information in crowded spaces. Giver her a mission out in the field, and you'd never see her. But the only eyes she could spy with were her butterflies, which were highly visible. She'd be caught immediately.

Teams were being sent out, one by one, and she felt her anxiety grow. She couldn't risk being caught cheating; her teammates would never forgive her if she cost them this chance at becoming Chunin. At the thought of her teammates, she immediately glanced at the one who was within her sight. From her vantage point, she couldn't tell if it was Renjiro or Zenjiro, but she could clearly see something that made her blood run cold. He was copying an answer from the person next to him with his new jutsu, the one that let him become temporarily invisible and cast an illusion of himself where he should be. But his chakra control always slipped on it, and she saw it happening again. Desperate to keep him from getting caught, she did the only thing she could do; she drew everyone's attention to herself with a very loud sneeze, simultaneously warning him to stop being such an idiot. To her relief, he backed off immediately, but not before casting an angry glare in her direction. How typically ungrateful of him. With a sigh, she turned back to her test.

She was ready to give up and hope for the best with the tenth question when something caught her eye; something quite out of place. A little bit of sand had made its way onto the table in front of her and was spelling out what she realized was the answer to question four. With much relief, she hurriedly scribbled it down, and promised herself that she would hug Gaara after the exam.

Time passed slowly, and she found herself nervously tapping her pen on the table and getting angry glares from those around her, though she could hear someone doing the same thing behind her. Instinctively, she knew it was Gaara, and had to stifle laughter. Apparently he was bored, too.

Casually, she began to tap out a beat--r_at-a-ta-tat, rat-a-ta-tat, rat-a-ta-tat_. She visualized Gaara smirking behind her at her display of boredom, knowing full well that she was silently daring him to join in. And Gaara never was one to turn down a dare.

_Rat-a-ta-tat, rat-a-ta-tat, rat-a-ta-tat_, her pen went.

_Tat-tat-ta, tat-tat-ta,_ went Gaara's.

By the time the tenth question was supposed to be handed out, they had quite a musical number going, with a few others in the room randomly joining in as they finished answering the questions. There were more than a few sniggers and giggles going around the room, too, drastically lightening the atmosphere.

Then the proctor started speaking again. "I'm going to hand out the tenth question now," he announced, and instantly, all tapping stopped. "But first, there are some rules regarding this final question. First, you have a choice to make. You all need to decide if you are going to take this final question."

"And what happens if we don't take it?" someone asked.

"If you choose not to take the tenth question, your points will be reduced to zero, and you will fail. Your teammates will fail with you," he explained. "However, if you do take the final question, and you answer it incorrectly, not only will your team fail, but you will be barred from ever taking the Chunin Exams again."

The tension in the air skyrocketed. Chiocho stiffened; she knew there wasn't much of a chance she would be able to answer it.

"Those of you who wish to quit now, raise your hands until your numbers are confirmed, and then you will leave immediately with your team."

At first, no one moved. Then, hesitantly, one ninja near the front of the room raised his hand. He set off the rush. Person after person raised their hands, and the room quickly began to empty.

Chiocho squeezed her eyes shut, thinking it over. She didn't want to be a Genin forever. And she knew she wouldn't be able to answer the final question. Without a doubt, she would fail either way, and Renjiro and Zenjiro would make her miserable for failing them along with her. She would rather go down with the hope of succeeding the following year.

* * *

Gaara watched her, knowing what was going through her head. She was going to give up. Slowly, her hand began to rise, trembling. He wouldn't let her go through with it. He'd give her the final answer if he had to, but he wasn't going to let Chiocho just quit. He leaned forward a bit to whisper to her.

And a boy up front, clad in orange, slammed his own hand down on the table. "I won't run away!" he shouted determinedly. "I'll take this problem! I don't care if I'm a Genin the rest of my life, I'll still be Hokage someday! I'm not scared!" He sat back down in a huff, with the eyes of most everyone in the room on him.

Gaara watched Chiocho, however. The tension had left her shoulders, and she had raised her head, her hand frozen next to her ear. Slowly, she lowered it back down onto the table, and when the proctor asked if anyone else wanted to quit, she didn't budge. Gaara smiled; that kid had given her back her courage.

"Everyone in this room passes."

Much to his embarrassment, Gaara was promptly hugged by one very ecstatic kunoichi.

**I don't much remember the Chunin Exams, so deal with what I have. Anywho, I worked hard on this, but I feel like I've got Gaara a little bit out of the character I had him in, if that makes any sense. So, review, please! Just a few more chaps to go, and then it'll all be over! How sad! I write such short fics…**


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